B S Yeddyurappa takes to the streets for farmers

Bengaluru: BJP state chief, B.S.Yeddyurappa demanded on Wednesday that  Chief Minister H .D.Kumaraswamy step down for his failure to  protect the interests of farmers and being disrespectful to a woman sugarcane grower.

Addressing a BJP workers protest rally here in support of the sugarcane growers, who are up in arms against the sugar factories that have not paid them for their cane, Mr. Yeddyurappa warned the BJP would fight until it succeeded in  overthrowing the present "anti- people" government in the state.

"Don’t forget that you won only 38 seats (in the last assembly poll) and the people gave the BJP the mandate. You cannot take the opposition,  which has formidable numbers, lightly,” he said.

Listing out the failures of the coalition government, Mr. Yeddyurappa said no minister had visited the drought- hit districts and no MLA grant had been released for the last six months. "Moreover, the government has completely failed to utilise Central grants.  It has also not fixed the sugarcane price nor collected the dues from sugar factories. And instead of waiving loans, nationalised banks have issued notices to farmers," he deplored. 

Also speaking at the rally, party leader, R Ashok warned JD(S) supremo, H.D.Devegowda and Chief Minister H.D.Kumaraswamy that their "arrogance"  would not serve them long. Addressing Mr Kumaraswamy, he said, "Your father had attacked then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde with slippers and even Vidhana Soudha,”

BJP general secretary, Ravikumar, for his part, claimed that the Chief Minister's remark against the woman farmer was enough provocation for a  "Me too" protest as it amounted to lowering the dignity of women.